Straight No Chaser: The Black & Gold

Symbolism: Symbolic meaning attached to material objects. The use of symbols, images to represent ideas, qualities, emotions and states of minds. The practice of investing things with symbolic meaning.

DENVER — Thank you Mrs. Webster.

I want a Afro-American consortium of Black aristocrats to come together, with but one purpose – to purchase one of the NFL’s flagship franchises, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

To fine-tune it, run the organization the way Senator Obama has ran his campaign; efficiently, all the “i’s” dotted, all the “T’s” crossed , and most importantly – A black operation, ran in the Black, by Blacks.

Call me racist, I don’t really give a ……

Let me tell you what I am; a staunch supporter of the underdog, the little man, the people who are in this rat-race called life, and all the odds are against them. Folks who were not born with a platinum spoon in their mouths.

I align myself with the Aztecs and Apaches, not Columbus or cowboys . I’ll stand with the steel workers and farmers, not the suites & ties. I’ll defend, to the bitter end the blue-collar and no-collar worker, the everyday man and women.

With this mantra of I am my brothers keeper as my criteria – Black folks more than qualify, as do most people-of-color for my support. I sympathize and empathize with people who’ve been oppressed and discriminated against…and I’m proud to do so.

I want to see a Black owned and operated organization dominate a sport in which …. we were once, not too long ago, forbidden to participate in. Think of the history of the NFL, the step-step, baby steps the league has taken towards front office inclusion and on-field equality is at least insulting and ridiculous.

Can I speak my mind? Can I say my piece? Can I tell it the way it really is? Can I tell the truth? Can I get down…. to the truth, one time? The only reason White guys still predominate two positions–kickers and QB’s — because of economics, tradition and racism.

You sure you want to go down this alley?

Money and exposure is all which stops black kids from playing soccer. If we did, and stop viewing kicking the ball as a panty-wasted, wimpy job….. that will be the end to White guys dominating the NCAA/NFL kicking game. Need I say more? If I elaborate, I hurt some feelings.

Nonetheless, I ponder if Black female soccer players, coming out of college, might not fare better than most white guys kicking in the league. It’s just a thought based on observation and common sense…..Overall they appear to be better athletes… with more heart and bigger balls than the Gramatica boys.

The NFL’s hung-on-to the immobile marble-like statue QB as the one and only mannequin, purposefully endorsed the scarecrow make and model , intentionally, tactically crafted the position and the game to fit their limited limitations.

Why? In order to maintain the golden boy status, the high rank and superior social standing. And really, to keep an arm around the cheerleaders.

Honestly, the game’s been rigged – so little Joey can participate. When these two positions go Black, little White boys will have to settle for Extreme 4-Square, Extreme Kite flying, Extreme Marbles, Extreme Tether-ball, Extreme Hop-Scotch.

Ha, ha, ha. I’m sorry, but this sad, sorry scenario is poetic justice when I consider all the players and coaches who’ve been denied access to a fair chance, to earn an opportunity, told they didn’t have the tools, mental or physical to play with the big boys.

To placate and pacify their own low esteem, White guys have feed into and enhanced the dumb Black man myth- blacks don’t and can’t play the field General position because we’re too dumb to understand, i.e. “read” defenses and we lack character, discipline and leadership skills.

They concocted a company line ” The Black man can’t be a head coach”, so surely, common sense in Archie Bunkers house dictates,… A Black man, and God forbid, a Black women …can’t own a franchise.

We’ll be slippin’ on chicken bones, running around with plastic bags on our heads instead of helmets….

As far as the NFL and the USA have been concerned, there always these questions surrounding our mental capacity, our intelligence, not to mention our emotional state-of-being.

Tony Dungy’s “Spock” like demeanor, Lovie Smith’s steady and measured approach, not enough to contradict these charges of incompetence. Denny Green’s coaching tree is full of prosperous coaches

Because of the redundancy of the insults and injustices, I want to see an organization prosper and flourish with Afro-Americans at the helm, making critical decisions. I want this to come-about because I understand the symbolic value of a venture of this magnitude.

It crushes the negative stereotypes and the Republican talking points which still dominate American culture, the insults which imply Blacks are ignorant when it comes to operating a business, economically inept, economically uneducated, economically unsophisticated, uninspired, disinterested in the business side of anything but pimping.

We just like to run really fast. And jump really high, have Rush Limbaugh tell it. And note, he speaks for millions of angry white folks..

So here I sit, holding my breath, crossing my fingers, toes and testicles, in an desperate plea to the gods; please let those big shot Black folks with money become a little enlightened. Buy something besides another mansion, another plane, another required trinket of the ghetto-fabulous lifestyle.

Yet as I pound out this piece of my mind…. White businessmen are already jumping on the offer to purchase a piece of black and gold steel. Oprah, Bill, Will…. I have yet to hear or see any moves on their part to assemble a few of the high-faluttin’step up.

This League sit’s on that back-stretch of the Monopoly board, with the green stuff, by the Boardwalk and Park Place. Own one of these franchises, put a few hotels on it….

But nooooo….! Black millionaires aren’t hip to how to play Monopoly. 10 clowns don’t make a circus, and 100 millionaires don’t make for business savvy investors. Owning a fleet of Impalas is one thing, planes, trains and automobiles….. but P’Diddy Jay Z, and his woman…should think about stepping up, out of L7.

They should be, ought to be good for a 100 million… Right? Then they should be able to go to the Hip-Hop higher ups, and walk away with a couple of mill’ from what ….two dozen wangsters, tanksters, pranksters and gangsters?

Oprah could orchestrate it all in a video conference. I’m sure she knows some people, who know some people, who actually know some black millionaires – have Gale call the wealthiest 100 Black folks in America, determine there assets , financial capabilities, and business relationships….. and go forth from there.

You sure you want to ride this train? You may want to get off here….

But alas, just because you can jump thru the roof, or shake your ass…. like a $27.00 and hour whore, while you recite, in full blown Ebonics – x-rated Mother Goose lines, with your pant’s down around your knees …. does not, and I repeat – does not mean you know a damn thing about managing the millions of dollars the White folks (who, after all, are making billions) broke-off for your dumb ass.

There’s no guarantee the upper tier of the Black e-lites are capable of strategically investing their millions in ventures which are profitable in a number of ways beyond cash-in-your-hand by the end of the business day.

There also no assurances, whatsoever this era of gladiators think like Jim Brown /invest like Arthur Ashe. Conscientiously invest their resources, guided by, in accordance with…..Black Power.

Yes, I said it. Black Power.

What’s wrong with…. Black Power? What’s wrong with Black people not merely building the plantation, working on the plantation, bringing to the plantation global status and recognition, but going a step further, and actually owning the plantation?

Owning a few plantations. Some which grow football players, others which grow missiles or computer chips or Buffalo – creating a diverse investment portfolio.

Ford and GM will be on the auction block soon…. If we can drive them, perhaps we can make them, redefine them, bring the label back, but in order to do this – Black investors need to collaborate, pool and pinpoint our limited resources, transform them into unlimited options and choices.

Create, brick by brick Black Power. For an investment group, the Packers may be a cornerstone in a wide range of investments.

Malcolm talked about sitting at the roundtable of humanity, as Black Americans, with respect, clout, and influence, not asking nor begging for understanding, a compromise or a handout, but instead having our own, acquiring it the ol’school way…earning it ourselves.